Amah Mutsun Land Trust: Coastal & Oceans Stewardship Program Mobilizes to Study Impacts of Vistra Fire

When the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing caught fire on January 16 (and again on February 18), the AMLT Native Stewardship Corps and staff joined a coalition of local scientists to respond to the potential threats to sea life and environment. The fire burned for 3 days with a plume of smoke settling directly on "Locuyusta" (Elkhorn Slough), leaving behind a layer of ash leaden with heavy metals which canvassed the estuary habitats. While the source of these metals is clear, their impact on the ecosystem is a continued concern. The stewards began gathering data from invertebrate animals at Locuyusta to help determine if the metals are moving through the food chain. More INFO.